Songbird
by Amia-Grace
Summary: Leah, a slave with a messy background escaped her master's clutches and coincidently bumped into Alanna. After getting lost, Leah finds more about her mother and her little jobs left for her. However, that includes the murder of the Crown Prince. . .
1. Chapter 1 Escape

Chapter 1  
  
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Alanna, Jon. And the rest of the characters. They all belong to Tamora Peirce.  
  
I escaped! At last I did! For the past few days I have been locked in that miserable cellar. What had happened? Could it have been a mistake? There were shouts in the distance. I ran faster. The grass was long and pricked my legs. I felt the strong winds pulling me back. No! I must not go back! The master would only punish me! I heard the sapphire necklace jingling as I ran. Mother gave the necklace to me. I mustn't lose it. She gave it to me before I was sold. Since then, it had some sentimental value.  
I turned to see how my pursuers were progressing. They were close, and angry. They shouted for me to stop. Fools! Like I would listen to them! The mud formed little puddles in front of me. I skimmed over them and continued running. The sun beat down at me, stinging my eyes. Suddenly, I felt a jolt of pain in my head. I ran into a tree. How stupid! Everything went black . . .  
~*~  
When I woke up, I was in this misty place, in the middle of a conversation. I couldn't see clearly, everything was blurred and out of focus. There were two people; a male and a female, standing far away, not noticing me. The former was clearly angry and frustrated. The latter was crying and weak. "You can't do that!"  
"Yes I can! And you can't do anything!"  
"She is my daughter! And you can't sell her!"  
"We need to eat too!"  
"No!"  
"Listen Jolene, we need money! If we let that girl stay with us, it'll do her no good either! She needs food, shelter and we need money to survive!"  
"Is there another way?"  
"If there was I would have tried!"  
Jolene started weeping. I pitied her. Who would bear to part with their closest kin? I sat down, listening to this pitiful couple.  
"Leah! Come here!"  
  
"Yes Father,"  
  
A young girl no older than eight came to sight. She had dark-brown hair and reddish brown eyes - just like me. I remembered this scene.  
"Pack up, you are going to somewhere else!"  
"Where, Father?"  
  
"Good girls don't ask too many questions"  
  
"Leah be good listen to your father. . ."  
Suddenly, everything went black. I tried to scream but I could not. I felt ants crawling all over me. Was this death? I hope not . . .  
~*~  
I opened my eyes. I was lying by a tree, with my head bandaged and a stinging headache. It was dark and there were voices nearby. Am I caught by those nasty people again? I listened quietly to the voices.  
"Alanna? You sleeping?"  
"No, I can't sleep with the excitement"  
"Me Neither. I'll check on thee girl"  
Who is this Alanna? Why am I here? I heard footsteps getting closer. He saw me awake and let out a cry.  
"Mithros! She's awake!"  
"You sure?"  
"Get some food! She must be starving!"  
Alanna didn't look like someone bad, the man didn't either. I felt more comforted and less fearful that I would be pushed back into the misery I had been. Feeling more confident, I decided to speak to them.  
"What happened?"  
Alanna turned around and answered. "We found you by that tree over there. Your forehead was bleeding and you were unconscious. So we brought you here. We have decided to leave you here if you didn't wake soon."  
"Now, who are you?" She asked.  
"I'm Leah. My father sold me to a rich man to be his slave three years ago. I attempted to escape lots of times but I was always caught. This morning, I was sent to get the groceries and I escaped along with the grocery money. I got found out and chased. I ran and now I'm here."  
"Do you have any plans or anything?"  
"Well, no. I just ran out without anything but the money. Where are you going to?"  
Alanna didn't answer me. She just stared at the ground and frowned. Coram turned up with some soup.  
"Me and ol' Alanna `re plannin' to get 'er to the castle to be 'nighted!"  
"You? But you are a girl!"  
"I know that. But I'm not going to give up that easily. I changed places with my brother, Thom."  
"Can I join you? I mean, I can't go anywhere else, can I?"  
"I would love to have more company! Will you, Coram?"  
"Am takin' my ol' life too far! Of `ourse!"  
That was the start of my adventures with Alanna.  
~*~ 


	2. Chapter 2 Songbird

Chapter 2  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Tamora Peirce. Which includes Alanna, Jon etc. However though I do own Estelle/Leah and some of the plot.  
  
Early next morning, we set off on horses - I 'borrowed' one from the nearby inn. We journeyed the whole morning and stopped for a break then set off again. The weather was hot and the horses were tired.  
We let the horses graze nearby while we sat down for a short rest. After eating some bread and drinking water, the sky grew downcast. Dark clouds covered the sky and rain came shortly after.  
I saddled the beast and followed closely behind Alanna. Through the rain, I saw lights. They were lamps, swinging in the winds. I called out to Alanna and Coram to stop. But I turned only to find them gone. I was lost. I eased the horse towards the lights.  
As I came closer, I saw more details of these 'lights'. It was a little inn with a wooden sign that read 'Lighting Paths, In remembrance of The Songbird'. I hitched 'my' horse to a wooden pole at the back ( Its covered) and went in the front door.  
  
"Goddess! We los' Leah!"  
"Wha-what?"  
"She was right behind me! Now she's gone!"  
"We have to wait till the rain stops. We might get ourselves lost too!"  
I sat by the walls of the old, deserted, half-abolished temple. We lost Leah in the rain. Pity, I was beginning to like her. The rain continued to pour outside . . .  
  
"Aye' beauty! What cha' `ittle ladee like you doin' in the `ain? Come in!"  
I stepped in to the inn. It was rather small, with some tables and chairs and a small bar (and a nosey bartender). Lamps, hung in almost every corner of the room lighted the inn. There was a flight of winding stairs leading upstairs, to the bedrooms I presume.  
"Can I have a room please?"  
"Tha'll be five shillings, lass"  
I took out the remainder of the grocery money and counted them out before giving them to him. I adjusted my worn skirt and lowered my hood. I looked up at the innkeeper, expecting him to lead me to my room. Instead, I saw a pair of eyes staring straight at me, astonished.  
"Are you going to lead me to my room or not?" I began feeling uneasy.  
"Viare (pronounced as Vee - Air)? You're back!"  
"Excuse me sir but I am not the Viare you speak of. Please, I am tired from my journey, I wish to be resting right now."  
That shut him off. He led me to a room with only a bed, a small drawer and a bronze mirror. The old man did not stop staring at me. He only left when I said I shall be changing.  
I looked into the mirror to adjust my hair. The reflection was stunning. It wasn't me. It had my eye colour and hair colour right but the shape of its nose was very much different. And it was obviously at least twenty years older than me.  
Even more stunning is that the figure in the reflection began talking to me.  
"Estelle . . . Come to me . . ."  
I walked closer to the mirror.  
"I am not Estelle! I am Leah of Trebond and now maybe Leon of Trebond! Who are you?"  
"I am Viane. I had once helped the poorest people and had once murdered the Count of Xanane for his mistreatment to the people of his land. I am the chosen one to replace evil with goodness. . . I am the Songbird. Famous for my deeds and my music. And I need your help.  
"Why would you think I would help you, Songbird?"  
"Because . . . I am your mother . . ."  
  
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Well? Bad? Bad enough? Terrible? I know the plot wasn't thickening up enough. . . So is this to your appetite? Tell me! Please review!  
  
Wishes you Best,  
  
Amia Grace 


	3. Chapter 3 I am Estelle

Chapter 3  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or names etc. that can be found in the Song of The Lioness quartet. They all belong to the author, Tamora Peirce.  
  
Story starts here!  
  
At last the rain stopped. Coram was still sleeping by the doorway. I left a note and went looking for Leah. I am not going to leave without her.  
Going back to the last place I saw her, I looked around. Darkness made my hunt more futile than ever. There wasn't anything but black. Even the grass smelled different in the darkness. Sighing, I saddled my horse again. Then something caught my eye. It was lights, from an inn, not far away. I went for the inn. . .  
  
Those words echoed in my mind. It played over and over again. I am your mother . . . I am . . . Songbird . . . Estelle. It all makes no sense!  
"If you are my mother, kindly tell me who was Jolene?"  
"Jolene was your aunt. When I went on my mission, I left you with her. Then I died, I never returned and she adopted you as her own."  
"Wait, you are dead and then why are you are here?"  
"Although I have passed, my memory remains stored in this mirror. You are my daughter, thus you are able to unlock my memories."  
"Tell me more about my past."  
"I was one of the six chosen ones to destroy all evilness. I received training from my teacher, Priestess Amilreda. She taught me how to use my Gift, how to disguise myself and also how to protect and attack. I discovered a new way of fight called The Rose. Its attacks are swift, graceful and effective, and its defense is a protection spell from the old books called 'Rose' thus its name. I fought with this skill and my teacher cast a spell so that only my descendents could use this technique to conquer. Soon, I was sent on my first mission. To murder the Count Duke of Valdine, Daxon the Younger. I succeeded and they sent me on more dangerous missions.  
One of them is to get inside the palace and influence the king. I had to get the king to get rid of those unworthy of their places today. King Roald was very young then, about seventeen. I managed to get to the palace. But I fell in love with young king. He loved me too. We had you but you know, with my status I could not help but to stop meeting him.  
So I left you with Jolene and tried to convince Roald. He found out about my plan and had me killed. Most brutally. He even tried to kill Jolene. But Jolene fled with you and her family. But he never found out about you. I kept my pregnancy secret.  
Now, will you revenge for me?"  
I was stunned. Revenge? Killing? I was no murderer!  
"If you help me become a successful squire, I shall help you get back at Roald."  
"I shall assist you, sweetheart."  
"Train me please! I forgot about my training!"  
"Sweetheart, search your mind. . . I have placed part of my memory of The Rose and part of my training in your memory. You can remember."  
I searched my mind frantically. There it was. . .  
  
I reached the small inn and went in. The innkeeper who was called Ol' Mike asked me for my name and if I wanted a room. I said no and that I wanted to search the inn for my friend.  
Ol' Mike led me up the stairs to the bedrooms. I kicked open the first door (its was locked) and found nothing. Then the second, and the third and the fourth. . .  
I remembered. Everything. From swordplay to court manners. Simply everything. Even King Roald when he was young. I had part of my mother's memory. And my mission is to infiltrate the palace and kill the Crown Prince of Tortall. I was Estelle, daughter of Vaine, the Songbird and King Roald of Tortall.  
Then someone knocked the door down. I recognised the familiar violet- eyed redhead. It was Alanna. And am I going to surprise her. . .  
  
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Hi! I know its short but I wasn't in a good mood. So please, review! Oh, pretty please? And thanks to those who did!  
  
- Amia Grace 


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